Ironing-tree.



L. W. G. FLYNT.

IRONING TREE.

APPLIUATIONIILED MAY z, 1912.

1 ,O87,229 Patented Feb. 17, 1914.

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UNITED sTATns PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS W. G. FLYNT, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO UNITEDSHOEMACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

IRONING-TREE.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LoUIs WV. G. FLYNT, asubject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Rochester, in thecounty of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certainImprovements in Ironing-Trees, of which the following description, inconnection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, likereference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in theseveral figures.

This invention relates to ironing trees of the type disclosed in thepatent to Gillard et al. No. 441,657. It is a particular object of thisinvention to improve the construction of the tree shown in this patent.Trees of this character are used chiefly to stretch and support theuppers of shoes, particularly womens 7 shoes, while the tops are ironed,brushed or otherwise treated to smooth them out just before the shoesare packed for shipment.

It is particularly important that a device of this character shall havea smooth surface upon which to support the shoe, since 1 otherwise thehot iron, which usually is employed to smooth out the upper, will forcethe stock into any creases or irregularities in the'supporting surfaceand consequently will defeat the very purpose for which the operation isperformed.

The tree shown in the patent above designated is open to the objectionthat the clamping means for the adjustable slides which stretch theupper, forces the slides away from the body of the tree and thus forms acrease between the body and each slide. l Vhen the shoe is ironed uponthe tree these creases produce a mark or line upon the shoe top. Thepresent invention provides a construction which not only avoids thisobjection but also has other advantages, particularly from amanufacturing standpoint.

.The invention will be readily understood from the followingdescription, reference being made'to the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a tree constructed inaccordance with this invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a treepartly in section showing its internal construction; and Fig. 3 is across sectional view on the line 33, Fig. 2.

In the drawings, 2 indicates a stand designed to be secured to a benchor other suit- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 2, 1912.

Patented Feb. 17, 1914. Serial No. 694,703.

able support, the stand being provided with a horizontal bore for thereception of a stock 4- that is mounted to turn freely'therein. Thestock is shouldered at its forward end to bear against the stand and isheld in operativeposition by a collar 6 threaded on its rearward end.Two flat arms 8 project from the forward end of the stock 1 andconstitute a support for a pair of plates 12 that form the body of thetree. These plates are riveted or otherwise firmly secured to the arms 8and to a spacing block 10 that is positioned between the plates. Itshould be noted that the plates 12 taper in width toward the forward endof the tree. Two slides 14- and 15 respectively are mounted on oppositesides of the tree between the margins of the plates 12. The edges of theslides are rabbeted, as best indicated in Fig. 3, so that the exposedsurfaces of the plates 12 lie flush with the faces of the slides. Theslides are held in operative position in the tree by means of twolocking members 16 and 18, respectively, one for each slide. Each memberconsists of a plate having a marginal flange extending at right anglesthereto. These plates overlap each other but are spaced apart and aremounted between the block 10 and the ends-of the arms 8. The flange 20of the plate 18 enters a groove formed in the edge of the slide 15,while the corresponding flange 22 of the plate 16 enters a similargroove in the slide 14. The slides, therefore, may be moved freelylongitudinally of the body but are held against movement away from thebody by the flanges 20 and 22. For the purpose of clamping the slidesagainst inovement relatively to the body, means are provided for movingthe members 16 and 18 inwardly to press the slides against the edges ofthe plates 12. These means comprise two pins 24 and 26 connected,respectively, to the plates 16 and 18, each pin projecting toward theother plate. A plunger 28 is positioned between the pins and is providedwith a tapered portion which operates, when moved backwardly, to spreadthe pins apart. The plunger 28 lies between the pin 24 and the flange22, both of which parts project from the plate 16, and also lies betweenthe pin 26 and the flange 20 of the plate 18. Consequently, when thisplunger is moved backwardly, spreading the pins 24 and 26 apart, itmoves the flanges 20 and 22 inwardly and clamps the slides 15 and 14firmly against the body plates 12. The backward movement of the plunger28 is effected by a rod 30 that is connected to the plunger and extendsthrough an aperture formed longitudinally in the stock 4. This rod isencircled by a compression spring which bears at its forward end againsta fixed washer 3st and at its rearward end against a collar 36 fast onthe rod 30. The spring 32, therefore, normally acts to move the plunger28 backwardly and hence to clamp the slides 14 and 15 against the edgesof the body plates 12. This arrangement thus avoids the presence of anyappreciable crease between the slides and the body plates, even afterthe parts have become badly worn.

In order to release the slides from the operation of the locking meansto enable them to be adjusted relatively to the body, the plates 16 and18 are provided with additional pins 38 and 40 respectively which engagea portion of the plunger 28 tapering in a direction opposite to theportion engag ed by the pins 24 and 26. Consequently, when this plungeris moved forwardly in opposition to the action of the spring 32, thepart of the plunger that acts on the pins 24L and 26 will be moved outof contact therewith and the oppositely tapered portion will engage thepins 38 and 4-0 and spread them apart, thus moving the slides 14: and 15slightly away from the edges of the plates 12. The slides are then freeto be moved longitudinally of the body of the tree. For the purpose ofmoving the plunger 12 in this manner a bell crank lever 42 is fulcrumedin cars projecting from the stand 2 and has one arm bearing against theend of the rod 30, its other arm being attached to a foot treadle (notshown) by means of a chain 44. It will be evident from an inspection ofFig. 2 that, when the treadle is depressed, the bell crank 42 will bemoved in a direction to press the rod 30 forward against the tension ofthe spring 32 with the result just described.

In order to prevent the slides 14 and 15 from being moved forwardly farenough to bind against each other, their inner edges are cut away for adistance near their forward ends to form shoulders designed to strikeagainst pins 43 projecting in opposite directions from the edges of thespacing block 10. The slides are provided with wings 45 to enable theworkman to move them easily.

In using the tree, the workman depresses the treadle to release theslides 14 and 15 from the action of the clamping means and he then movesthe slides forward. This movement, because of the tapered shape of thebody plates, contracts the tree laterally, as will be evident from aninspection of Fig. 2, and enablesthe Workman to slip the shoe top on tothe tree with the slide 15 engaging the instep and the slide 1 Lengaging the heel part of the shoe. The workman then moves the slidesbackwardly until. the shoe top is stretched tightly over the tree, afterwhich he releases the foot treadle and the spring 32 immediatelyoperates the plunger 28, which moves the clamping plates 16 and 18,causing them to lock the slides frictionally against further movement.After the ironing or other operation has been per formed upon the upper,the workman again depresses the treadle and moves the slides forwardlyto enable him to remove the shoe from the tree without wrinkling thetop.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A tree comprising abody, a slide adjustable longitudinally along said body, and

locking means arranged to press said slide toward said body and to clampit in adjusted position against the side of said body.

2. A tree comprising a body, a pair of slides adjustable along oppositesides of said body, and means for pressing said slides toward each otherand against the sides of said body to hold them in adjusted positions.

3. A tree comprising a tapered body, a pair of slides adjustable alongopposite sides of said body, locking means normally acting to press saidslides inwardly and to clamp them against the sides of said body, andmeans for interrupting the operation of saic locking means.

4L. A tree comprising a tapered body, a pair of slides adjustable alongthe tapered portions of said body, a locking device for each of saidslides, and means in sliding engagement with said devices to move themtoward said body to clamp the slides against the sides of said body.

5. A tree comprising a tapered body, a pair of slides adjustable alongopposite sides of said body, a pair of locking members within said bodywith which, respectively, the slides have sliding engagement, means forpressing said members inwardly to hold said slides against movementrelatively to the body and means to move said members to release theslides.

6. A tree comprising a tapered body, a pair of slides adjustable alongopposite sides of said body, a pair of locking members positioned withinsaid body for engagement respectively with said slides, a

plunger having connection with saidmem bers to press them toward eachother and thereby to clamp said slides against the sides of said bodywhen the plunger is moved in one direction and to spread the membersapart to release the slides when the plunger is moved in the oppositedirection, anda spring tending to move said plunger in a direction toclamp the slides.

7. A tree comprising a body having two plates tapered in width and heldin spaced relation to each other, a pair of slides mounted between themarginal edges of the plates, each of said slides being grooved, a pairof locking members arranged within said body having flanges to engagethe grooves in said slides, a plunger movable longitudinally of thetree, said plunger being, provided with oppositely tapered portions, twopins projectlng respectively from said locking members arranged toengage opposite faces of one of said tapered portions, and twoadditional pins projecting, respectively, from 15 said members, andarranged to engage opmoved in the opposite direction, said 'members willbe moved to release said slides.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses;

LOUIS \V. G. FLYNT.

lVitnesseS IRVING E. Boo'rH, JOSEPH M. FEELY.

0091:! of this patent maybe obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.

